Golden Jubilee: Grant of City Status

Baroness Gale: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they intend to publish a list of the applicants for the grant of city status and for a Lord Mayoralty or Lord Provostship to mark Her Majesty The Queen's Golden Jubilee.

Lord Irvine of Lairg: Applications for the grant of city status to mark Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee have been received, and are now under consideration, from the local authorities for the following areas:
	England
	Blackburn with Darwen
	Blackpool
	Bolton
	Chelmsford
	Colchester
	Croydon
	Doncaster
	Dover
	Greenwich
	Guildford
	Ipswich
	Luton
	Maidstone
	Medway
	Middlesbrough
	Milton Keynes
	Northampton
	Preston
	Reading
	Shrewsbury and Atcham
	Southend-on-Sea
	Stockport
	Swindon
	Telford
	Warrington
	Wirral
	Wales
	Aberystwyth
	Machynlleth
	Newport
	Newtown
	St Asaph
	Wrexham
	Scotland
	Ayr
	Dumfries
	Paisley
	Stirling
	Northern Ireland
	Ballymena
	Carrickfergus
	Coleraine
	Craigavon
	Lisburn
	Newry
	Applications for the grant of a Lord Mayoralty have been received from the following cities and are also under consideration:
	Bath
	Cambridge
	Carlisle
	Chichester
	Derby
	Exeter
	Gloucester
	Lancaster
	Lincoln
	St Albans
	St David's
	Salford
	Southampton
	Sunderland
	Wolverhampton
	Worcester

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals: Campaign against Angling

Lord Mason of Barnsley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether any charges have so far been made against the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) due to their actions against anglers and angling in this country.

Lord Rooker: I understand from the police that no charges have been brought against the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in connection with their campaign against angling.

Privy Council Silver Collection

Lord Freyberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why they are selling the historic silver collection from the Privy Council; who ordered the sale; what bodies they have consulted about the sale; and whether they offered the House of Commons or Lords or any other body the opportunity to purchase these items.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: I refer to the exchanges in your Lordship's House following the noble Lord's Starred Question a few moments ago.

Broadband Services

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action they are taking to ensure that all areas of Britain, including remote rural areas, have access to infrastructure that allows them the same speed of internet communication as cabled urban areas.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Government are working to ensure that broadband services are available in all parts of the country. To this end we are developing a strategy together with all interested parties. The £30 million fund for regional development agencies and the devolved administrations is focused on extending broadband networks to those who are not offered access by the market, including in rural areas. The Countryside Agency also included broadband access and demand in its "healthchecks" on 100 market towns, while the devolved administrations are carrying forward their own work on broadband in rural areas with our support and assistance.
	In addition, we are examining the scope for aggregating public sector demand in order to speed up the roll-out of broadband services to individuals and businesses in rural and other areas that service providers currently see as uncommercial.

Employment and Social Policy Council, 8 October

Baroness Massey of Darwen: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the outcome of the Employment and Social Policy Council held in Luxembourg on 8 October.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The Employment and Social Policy Council (ESPC) was held in Luxembourg on 8 October 2001. My honourable friend the Member for Croydon North and my honourable friend the Member for Hull West and Hessle represented the UK.
	At this meeting the Council finally adopted the Regulation for a Statute of the European Company and an accompanying Directive governing employee involvement, after 30 years of negotiation.
	The Council also discussed this year's autumn package of employment measures, alongside a debate on quality in work. It largely welcomed the Commission's overall approach to the package; which will now be negotiated in detail within the Employment Committee and the Council's working group. The debate on quality in work focused on current work, in the light of the mandate of the Stockholm European Council, to develop a range of indicators. The UK supported proposals for further technical work to be done by the Employment Committee.
	The Council also debated certain aspects of the Commission's proposal to simplify Regulation 1408/71, which concerns the co-ordination of member states' social security systems in respect of people moving within the Community. In the light of the Stockholm Conclusions, the Council is due to agree parameters for the modernisation of the regulation by the end of the year.
	Council was presented with two progress reports from the Social Protection Committee, one on commonly agreed indicators on social inclusion and the other on quality and sustainability of pensions. Both these issues will be discussed again at the ESPC on 3 December in preparation for the Laeken European Council.
	The Commission presented its Communication on core labour standards over lunch in the presence of the Council and the social partners. The UK broadly welcomed the content but expressed reservations about the Commission's ideas on the general system of preferences, arguing against an approach based on sanctions or penalties.
	Two other agenda items were remitted to the 3 December ESPC: a Decision establishing the Year of Disabled People in 2003 and a Presidency report on civil mediation.
	The Council adopted a resolution on e-inclusion without debate.

Civil Service Legislation

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the timetable for public consultation on proposed legislation on the civil service.

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The Government are committed to Civil Service legislation and will consult widely in advance of the introduction of this legislation.

Variant Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many people now diagnosed with vCJD were blood donors before diagnosis; and how many haemophilia patients treated are known to have been, or could have been, treated with blood products linked to these donors.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Ninth Annual Report 2000 of the CJD Surveillance Unit shows that eight people diagnosed with variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease were blood donors before diagnosis. The report is available on www.cid.ed.ac.uk. Information on the number of haemophilia patients with blood products linked to these donors is not currently collected.